Specialist Group on ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Newsletter - IWA

The PROBIOGAS Project
The objective of the PROBIOGAS project is to develop sustainable systems of production and use of biogas in
agro-industrial areas, the demonstration of its viability and its promotion in Spain. The project has been
considered by the Ministry of Science and Innovation both singular and strategic, having received funds from
the Ministry itself and from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project began at the end of
2007 and will finish in 2010. The project has a total eligible budget of 6.7M€ and has received economical
support like grants and refund anticipations loans.
The activities of this project are centered in biogas obtained from wastes of agro-industrial origin (animal
farms, agriculture, agro-industry, food industries, bioenergy industries, etc.); landfill gas and biogas originating
from urban wastewater purification stations are not considered.
In addition, all the studied techniques of anaerobic digestion in the project always apply the concept of "codigestion"
(joint treatment of organic wastes of different origin and composition). In PROBIOGÁS the codigestion
of combinations of the most important agro-industrial wastes in Spain will be studied.
The project consists of twelve inter-related subprojects, which
have their own specific objectives, although they share the common
objective of PROBIOGAS. Thus, part of these subprojects will
involve an investigation into the improvement of the production
systems of biogas based on the anaerobic co-digestion of the more
frequent agro-industrial wastes in Spain. Others will investigate ways
of improving the agronomic use of the digestate in traditional and
power cultures. Also, a study of the viability of the possible uses of
biogas in vehicles, facilities of co-generation, microturbines and fuel
cells, as well as their introduction in natural gas networks will be carried out. In addition, seven actions of
technological demonstration including innovating actions will be made as much in biogas production techniques
as in the use of the digestate and biogas.
In this project there is ample participation (28 partners), divided in companies (15) and research centers (13)
and which, although they develop their activity in different sectors, share their interest in the advantage of
production and use systems of biogas.
The relation of partners is as follows: ABANTIA, Energía y Medio Ambiente (AEMA), AINIA Centro
Tecnológico, Purines Almazán S.L., Biogas Fuel Cell (BFC), CSIC-CEBAS, CESPA, Fundación CIDAUT,
Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), SAC Ganadera del Valle
de los Pedroches (COVAP), Fundación Asturiana de la Energía (FAEN), Fundación Patrimonio Natural de
Castilla y León (FNAT), Centro Tecnológico de Gestión Integral de Residuos Orgánicos (GIRO), S.A.T. San
Ramón (GSR), GUASCOR, Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE), Universidad de
León (IRENA UL), Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), NATURGAS ENERGÍA S.A.,
PROTECMA, FUNDACIÓN RURAL CAJA, Sociedade Galega do Medio Ambiente (SOGAMA), Unión
Temporal de Empresas TETMA S.A. -URBASER S.A., Universidad de Barcelona (UB), Universidad de Cádiz
(UCA), Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH), Universidad de Oviedo (UNIOVI), Universidad Politécnica de
Valencia (UPV) and Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC).
The coordinator of the project is AINIA, in the person of Mr. Andrés Pascual. For more information, see Web
page: www.probiogas.es
IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Anaerobic Digestion
30 June 2009 Newsletter